拮据 (jié jū) — short of money; hard up; financially strained

Definition

Formal written word for being short of money or financially strained. Stronger and more literary than the everyday 穷; describes a temporary state of hardship rather than chronic poverty.

adjective

short of moneyhard upfinancially strained

Examples

拮据，。
Tā zuì jìn shǒu tóu hěn jié jū, lián fáng zū dōu fù bù qǐ le.
He is very short of money lately—can't even afford the rent.
，拮据。
Jīng jì bù jǐng qì, xǔ duō jiā tíng dōu gǎn dào jié jū.
With the economic downturn, many families are feeling financially strained.
，拮据。
Zì cóng shī yè yǐ hòu, tā de shēng huó yì zhí hěn jié jū.
Since losing his job, his life has been very hard up.

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